Greenville Planning Board to consider expanding multigenerational housing unit

GREENVILLE — Late last fall a key step was taken toward the creation of a proposed multigenerational housing district on 5 acres on Spruce Street off Pritham Avenue. Via a special town meeting vote, residents approved an article asking if the town of Greenville would accept a land use ordinance amendment to help pave the way for the housing district. Infrastructure improvements include sewer and water extensions, stormwater collection installation, and construction of a new road and sidewalks onto the property. 

While the district has specified boundaries, such as not crossing Pritham Avenue to the other side of the street, some residents have expressed interest in a potential expansion which would enable their properties to qualify and be able to be converted into rental units. This was a topic of conversation during a Feb. 7 planning board meeting, with the board agreeing to look into potential expansion.

Code Enforcement Officer Ron Sarol said amendments to the multigenerational housing district would follow the same process as last year’s special town meeting. “It is the same things we went through before, public hearing, town meeting,” he said.

Sarol suggested looking into the matter to see how much interest there is as a way to potentially increase the community’s housing stock. He said Greenville officials cannot spot zone, such as adding one adjacent property to the designated area.

For more than a year the Northern Forest Center has been working on a Spruce Street housing project with the town, Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corp., and Northern Light CA Dean Hospital to bring middle-income housing to the community to help remedy the housing issues near Moosehead Lake. The 5-acre site on Spruce Street is owned by the MLREDC and the Northern Forest Center would purchase the property in the future.

To help bring the project to fruition a new overlay district was proposed by the Northern Forest Center. An overlay is an additional layer of planning control for properties in a clearly defined area with a specified set of regulations. Greenville previously had three overlays, a scenic corridor, another for groundwater preservation, and the shoreland zoning district.

The new district would permit the construction of 22-28 units on the property, which would make these homes more affordable. The new district would help eliminate as many barriers as possible. The Northern Forest Center would like to see no minimum lot size, no minimum setbacks from property lines, no maximum lot coverage, no minimum frontage, and no maximum height.

The Northern Forest Center will bring the proposal before its board and everything should be in accordance with town ordinances in order to proceed.

The Northern Forest Center has worked with the town to secure a $991,708 grant from Northern Border Regional Commission. An additional $265,000 to be raised by Northern Forest Center will also help offset the costs for sewer and water extensions, stormwater collection installation, and construction of a new road and sidewalks onto the property. The road, sidewalk, and water and sewer would be deeded to the town.

In other business, the board voted to explore a new law to help increase housing in town with Board Chairperson John Contrenti to draft a memo that will be shared with the public.

In April 2022 Gov. Janet Mills signed an “An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions” or LD 2003. Per guidance on the act from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the law is designed to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to housing production in Maine, while preserving local ability to create land use plans and protect sensitive environmental resources. Greenville has until July 1 to implement LD 2003.

The act guidance has sections relevant to municipalities, identifying amended sections of state law. Amendments include allowing for additional density for affordable housing developments in certain areas; generally requiring that municipalities allow between two and four housing units per lot where housing is permitted; requiring that municipalities allow accessory dwelling units to be located on the same lot as a single-family home under certain conditions; and requiring that the state establish statewide and regional housing production goals and set forth ways in which local governments can coordinate with that goal.

To learn more, Sarol attended a meeting in Guilford with officials from that town and Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Housing Opportunity Program Coordinators Hilary Gove and Benjamin Averill. Gove and Averill both spoke to the planning board via Zoom.

“Generally speaking it was meant to increase housing opportunities throughout the state by requiring communities, requiring all municipalities to amend or relax their zoning ordinances,” Averill said.

His slideshow had three subsections, referred to as buckets, and “All three of the buckets apply to Greenville because you have zoning, you have density requirements and you allow multi-density family housing and you have designated growth areas and some areas that are on public water and sewer.”

“Our No. 1 next step is to have communities review their land use ordinances,” Gove said, such as reviewing minimum lot sizes and dimensional requirements, definitions, and the permitting process. 

“Also reviewing your comprehensive plan again to make sure you have a good handle on where your designated growth areas are,”  she said. Ordinance amendments can then be drafted and funding assistance is available.

“We are in the midst of updating the comprehensive plan so this is great timing,” Town Manager Mike Roy said.

Expenses incurred are reimbursable up to $10,000 from the state, these can include Sarol’s time and legal fees needed in the amendment of town ordinances.

Contreni said the planning board still has vacancies for both alternate positions. “If anyone is inclined to serve the town of Greenville in this way I would invite them to apply on the online application on the town website,” he said.